Am I Not My Hair?

Essentially a religious symbol then a political statement and now a fashion trend, dreadlocks have experienced a revival on urban streets. From Brixton to Birmingham, ‘locking’ shops are springing up all over the country to cater for the growing demand of black men and women wanting to go natural. Is this a sign of a new black consciousness or a passing trend? Sylvia Arthur finds out.

Frances Hall always wanted to grow dreads. She liked the look of them and admired women like Lauryn Hill and India. Arie but was afraid of the impact having locs would have on her career. As an aspiring television news journalist she feared wearing dreads would play up to a stereotype and be detrimental to her progress. “I didn’t want to be seen as an angry black woman with a chip on my shoulder,” she says. “I wanted to be taken seriously.”

But having abandoned the extensions and chemical straighteners in favour of locs two years ago she says she’s never been happier and wishes she’d made the change years ago. “I feel liberated now,” Hall says. “The time was right. Everyone has locs now and it’s no big deal. It’s like wearing a hijab (Muslim headscarf). With locs everyone knows what you’re about.”

Like the Afro in the sixties, the connotations surrounding dreadlocks are deep-rooted and contentious. Though widely associated with the Rastafarian religion, as popularised by the late Reggae legend Bob Marley and iconic of a black consciousness movement, dreadlocks have become both a style of convenience and a symbol of self-pride for a generation of men and women who were born well after the cultural revolutions of the 60's and 70's.

Tosin Talabi, owner of Eftal Natural Hair in Tottenham, North London has seen a sharp rise in business over the last two years. When she opened her first shop in the predominantly black area of West Green Road in 2002 she was serving a small but loyal customer base. Now, having moved to bigger premises she’s averaging about three times as many clients as before as more people aspire to the versatility of dreadlocks.

“I don’t think wearing your hair in dreads has anything to do with your religious or political beliefs these days,” says Stacey Atkins, who’s been growing her hair in locs for the past ten years. “Britain is the most multicultural society in Europe so the struggle isn’t the same as in the 60’s and 70’s. Some people just like the easy upkeep and length. It’s as simple as that.”

Though dreadlocks have become more acceptable over the years some Rastafarians are angry at what they see as the secularisation of their religion.

This is an edited extract.
© Sylvia Arthur, 2004 & 2006.